Rainfall clears algae at Minnedosa Lake, boosting local water park

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This article was published 22/08/2025 (216 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — Rainfall has flushed Minnedosa Lake, clearing algae that had posed a problem at the end of last month.

Rainfall that totalled about 104 millimetres fell in the area upstream of Lake Minnedosa since an algae alert was issued by the town in late July. The rain has made a significant difference, Friends of Lake Minnedosa member Barry McPhail said.

“After the rain, the water is flowing through the lake and it’s much, much better,” he said. “There’s no doubt the rain helped a lot, and it’s just refreshed the whole lake up.”

At the time the alert was sent out, dry conditions had led to a rare algae bloom in the lake.

Splish Splash Water Park co-owner Connor Champagne said the improved conditions have meant a rebound for business.

For the first time in several years, the algae was bad enough to shut down the inflatable water park at the end of last month and into August. It was closed for two days, but it’s taken longer for the message to get out that conditions had improved, said Champagne.

He expects this weekend to see a return to normal traffic after tourism had slowed.

“I think the word is finally starting to get out. And, you know, we’re trying to post on Facebook as much as possible to let people know,” Champagne said. “Hopefully we have a good last week here, to the end of August.”

The rain raised the lake level and the water is cycling much faster, he added.

Minnedosa Lake depends on a constant stream of running water to stay clean, McPhail said.

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s weather station in Wasagaming reported about 29 mm of precipitation on Aug. 6, and nearly 35 mm on Aug. 8. Combined with showers later in the month, about 104 mm have fallen since the algae advisories. The Little Saskatchewan River carries water from the area down to Minnedosa Lake.

— Brandon Sun